Cain is Able

Take two bites of the blues apple when guitarist Chris Cain comes to Arcadia Blues Club for a pair of shows Friday and Saturday.

Cain got an early introduction to the blues, growing up hearing his father’s oft-told stories of being raised in the Memphis blues Mecca of Beale Street. The younger Cain attended his first B.B. King concert at the age of 3 and grew up listening to the music being played on his parents’ stereo at home. His influences included King, Ray Charles, Freddie King, Albert King and other masters of the form.

At age 8, he taught himself to play guitar and started playing professionally before he turned 18. He studied music at San Jose City College and soon started teaching jazz improvisation there. He put that combination of a blues upbringing and jazz studies to good use, developing a blazing guitar style that has propelled him to the top ranks of blues performers.

He learned his lessons so well that his initial1987 release, “Late Night City Blues” earned four W.C. Handy Blues Award nominations. He’s gone on to release a long list of albums.